Residential Burglary Crime Ring Arrested
On April 4, 2025, at 9:45 am, detectives from the Santa Barbara Police Department were alerted by an Orange County Law Enforcement Agency about a potential residential burglary crime ring operating in the Santa Barbara area. Santa Barbara police detectives coordinated with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department and successfully located the suspects in Goleta.
The suspects involved in the crime ring have historically used multiple vehicles to impersonate an online food delivery service. One of the suspects would bring what appeared to be a bag from a fast-food restaurant and knock on the front door of a residence. When the suspect found that nobody was home, they would alert two other suspects, who would then walk around to the back of the house and force entry. After the burglary was complete, the two suspects would get into a vehicle that had been staged in the area and drive away.
Detectives located three of the vehicles associated with the suspected burglary ring on the 6100 block of Barrington Dr. in Goleta. After briefly observing the suspect vehicles engage in what appeared to be a coordinated attempted burglary, five suspects were ultimately detained. All five suspects were arrested and booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail, with a bail set at $250,000. Thanks to the proactive cooperation of all involved law enforcement agencies, there were no victims of residential burglary by this crime ring in the greater Santa Barbara area, including the City of Santa Barbara.
The suspects were identified as the following:
Dilan Gonzalez-Medina, a twenty-year-old resident of Los Angeles, CA, was arrested for conspiracy, attempted burglary, possession of burglary tools, and driving without a license.
Edwin Ospina-Leon, a twenty-six-year-old resident of Los Angeles, CA, was arrested for conspiracy, attempted burglary, possession of burglary tools, false identification, and had two warrants for burglary and one for evading.
Jessica Ardila-Zambrano, a thirty-two-year-old resident of Southgate, CA, was arrested for conspiracy, attempted burglary, possession of a controlled substance, and a warrant for grand theft.
Wendy Baelana-Hernandez, a thirty-three-year-old resident of Gardena, CA, was arrested for conspiracy, attempted burglary, and possession of burglary tools.
Cesar Reyes-Hernandez, a thirty-five-year-old resident of Van Nuys, CA, was arrested for conspiracy, attempted burglary, possession of burglary tools, and driving without a license.